- Cormac MacConnell gave talks and introduced speakers at a literary festival in Mitchelstown, Co Cork over the weekend, preaching from Protestant pulpits which empowered him. - He details his experiences at the festival events and interactions with locals, praising the welcoming nature of people in south Cork. - The article also summarizes the record turnout of 3,500 at the Irish Holstein Friesian Association open day on the Helen family farm in Clonakilty, with results of judging competitions.

1. TERAPROOF:User:stephencadoganDate:24/07/2013Time:14:30:55Edition:25/07/2013FarmingFX2507Page:14 Zone:FX1
FX1 - V1
THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013 1514 THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013 FEATURE FEATURE
Cormac MacConnell
theoldesthack@hotmail.com
IT’S PURE TRUE
Feeling the power
of the pulpit
‘‘Even a papish master of
ceremonies is hugely
empowered by standing high
over the congregation
‘‘
My track record for telling
the pure truth here should be
well established by now. Yet
still there are doubters and
naysayers who continue to
allege that at the very least,
Cormac elasticates the truth
more than occasionally. I ro-
bustly deny that, of course.
Accordingly, those
doubters will again shake
their heads this Thursday,
when i say that this old pa-
pish from rural Fermanagh
preached and orated from no
less than two dignified
Protestant pulpits in Co Cork
last weekend. And has not
been inside a confessional
box since.
Those pulpits, as a matter
of fact, were located in Saint
Colman’s ancient church in
Farrahy, at the heart of the
sun-soaked village of Kildor-
rery, and in the serene
Kingston College chapel in
Mitchelstown. Both were
serving at the Mitchelstown
Literary Festival, and it was
my official duty, as MC, to
mount them, in order to in-
troduce the lecturers in-
volved in what was a most
stimulating weekend.
Here are more facts. The
lecturer in Saint Colman’s
was Dr Hilary Lennon from
UCC, dealing with the works
of Frank O’Connor, and the
centrepiece of events in the
Kingston College chapel was
provided by Eleanor O’Reilly,
reading her prize-winning
short story from this year’s
competition. It was altogeth-
er as brilliant as its title,
which was ‘Saints and Kid-
neys’, believe it or not.
There is more. I rapidly
discovered that even a Papish
master of ceremonies is
somehow hugely empowered
by standing high over the
congregation in the footsteps
of now ghosted deans and rec-
tors. Dr Lennon, a Roscom-
mon native and a gifted
speaker, later confessed to
having the same experience.
It was my duty to thank her
for her contribution, so I had
to mount the pulpit once
more. We were in the evening
of yet another glorious day,
the parched stubble fields on
Mitchelstown, which recently played host to a literary festival.
Zookeepers go
ape for gorilla
Zookeepers at Ohio’s Cincin-
nati Zoo acted as surrogates
to raise a baby gorilla reject-
ed by her mother.
They donned gorilla-like out-
fits and mimicked animal
noises to help the baby pri-
mate. They worked in eight-
hour shifts around the clock,
until a gorilla took over the
parenting role.
Gorillas and humans are
close relatives, sharing intelli-
gence, emotions, and per-
sonalities, and living in family
groups.
Now aged five months,
Gladys the baby gorilla, is
living with her new gorilla
surrogate mom.
After just over a week of
bonding with her new mom,
M’Linzi, staff at the zoo are
positive the two have bonded
and will remain together.
Cat emporium
Coming soon in London is
Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium,
a crowdfunded business
which raised £109,510 on
February to open a luxurious
space for cats and people to
share in a spirit of relaxation
and joy.
Entrepreneur Lauren Pears’s
idea has visitors drinking cof-
fee or tea while they pet
about a dozen cats from a
local animal shelter.
“There’s one thing that lots of
people living in London can’t
have: A kitty, ” Pears said.
Many similar shops can be
found in Tokyo, another city
where people tend to work
long hours and live in small
apartments that might not al-
low pets.
“A cat café has the potential
to create social situations that
you wouldn’t otherwise get,”
Pears said.
“ Yo u c o u l d h a v e t w o
strangers who’ll talk to each
other in a café setting be-
cause there’s a cat in be-
tween them.”
Slithery snakes
There are more than 3,000
species of snakes, ranging
from the 10cm thread snake
to the 30ft (9m) reticulated
python.
Snakes are covered in over-
lapping scales that can feel
vibrations in the ground.
Without eyelids or ears, they
rely on vibrations to “hear”.
They live mainly in burrows or
under rocks and some
snakes stay dormant in very
cold winters.
Only vipers, cobras, and oth-
er related species use their
venom to hunt. Most snakes
kill their prey by swallowing it
whole. A snake can eat prey
three times larger than the
size of its head because its
lower and upper jaw can sep-
arate. Larger snakes can
strangle prey to death.
the horizons aching for the
solace of twilight, and yet,
from the crowded congrega-
tion, a lady asked me if I
would sing my Christmas
song about the spontaneous
soldiers’ truce on the West-
ern Front of a First World
War Christmas. The pure
truth too. And dammit, I put
my head back and gave it to
them full volume from begin-
ning to end.
Surreal. I think I may have
spotted a few tears in the
benches afterwards too.
Young men who were boys in
this church would surely
have gone forth to be slaugh-
tered in those dreadful
trenches. Maybe some of
their spirits were not too far
away. It felt that way. I have
decided since the event that
pulpitry somehow enhances a
nicotined old voice. Next time
I am asked to sing, I will
demand a similar platform.
We Papishes from the other
side of the border were raised
in a world where the animali-
ty of the Orange demonstra-
tions in Belfast was never too
far away. We are often china
cups of things, brittle. Deep
inside, there is often a buried
cell or two of suspicion and
fear and watchfulness in the
presence of strangers in
strange places.
You needed that, especially
in the marching month of Ju-
ly. It is a complex area, large-
ly beyond my word power,
but I long ago discovered that
it is in the deep south of what
we always called the Free
State that the cold little cell
totally disappears, and one is
deeply at peace. and that is
the pure truth too.
Just one small example of
how special this Free State is,
even today.
At some point, I needed a
packet of cigarettes late in
the night in Mitchelstown.
Young lads directed me to the
filling station across the road.
I walked in and told the man
behind the counter I would
kill for a packet of Carrolls.
He said there was no need for
that, produced my cigarettes,
accepted my €10 note, gave
me my change and then
asked if I was the man who
wrote in the Irish Examiner.
I confessed. He said he
reads me every Thursday
with some enjoyment, his
name was Pat O’Shea, and we
shook hands as I thanked him
for the compliment. I walked
back up to the pedestrian
crossing and was waiting for
the lights to change, when I
got a quick tap from behind
and there was Mr O’Shea,
mutely, with the gift of anoth-
er packet of cigarettes lest I
run out again before the
evening in Walsh’s musical
pub up the road was over.
Where else would you en-
counter that kind of gesture
towards a visitor? We should
be very proud of what we
have been, as reflected in the
masterful stories of Frank
O’Connor, and equally proud
of what we still are today.
Thanks Pat. I am smoking
the very last of your
cigarettes back home in Clare
as I write this. And never has
nicotine intake felt so holisti-
cally healing.
FarmAntics■ Stephen Cadogan says attendance of 3,500 at Kilgarriffe reflects dairy
Record numbers at
Helen farm’s Holstein
Friesian open day
T
H E R E w a s a
record Irish Hol-
stein Friesian As-
sociation (IHFA)
open-day atten-
dance, 3,500, at
the Kilgarriffe pedigree-regis-
tered Holstein Friesian herd
of Richard and Marion Helen,
at Clonakilty, Co Cork, last
week.
Pedigree breeders and com-
mercial dairy farmers took
part in inter-club stock-judg-
ing, presentation of national
herds competition results,
gold and diamond awards for
individual cow performance,
YMA stock-judging (introduc-
ing a successful class for un-
der-12s), Macra na Feirme
stock-judging; and presenta-
tions on milk quality, forage-
budgeting (Teagasc), grass-
seed establishment, nutrition-
al advice, opportunities post-
quotas, and the genetic diver-
sity of the Holstein Friesian
breed.
Key sponsors were Green-
vale Animal Feeds, Lisavaird
Co-op, Carbery and Clona
Dairies.
Volunteer members of the
Cork Southwest Association
for Autism distributed re-
freshments.
The Kilgarriffe celebration
sale of young stock was a
barometer of the positivity
among dairy farmers.
They averaged €2,000, with
the top price, of €4,100, for
Kilgarriffe Sharon 1 ET, a
very stylish calf by Man-O-
Man, from the Sharon family,
her dam a third calf, VG 87
cow, by Goldwyn. Her second
dam is a full sister to the
renowned sire, Picton Shottle.
Purchasers were from vari-
ous counties, with two lots
going to Northern Ireland.
The Kilgarriffe herd was
established in 1965 by Richard
Helen’s parents. Three gener-
ations of the family work on
the farm, which has grown to
200 hectares, including a 60-
hectare milking platform,
with a milking herd of 200.
Milk is supplied to Clona
Dairies and to Lisavaird Co-
Op.
The breeding philosophy at
Kilgarriffe is trouble-free
cows developed through
strong families.
Their average yield last
year was 9,132kg, at 4.06%
butterfat and 3.35% protein.
There are 36 EX, 102 VG and
60 GP-classified cows in the
herd. All replacements are
reared on the farm, with 40
bulls from the top cow fami-
lies retained each year to sell
as stock bulls.
Open-day competition re-
sults were as follows.
NATIONAL HERDS COMPETI-
TION 2013
Over 70 cows: 1, Brochan
Cocoman, Kill, Co Kildare. 2,
Paul Hannan, Crecora, Co
Limerick. 3, Tom Kelly,
Drogheda. Highest EBI: Derek
Ryan, Bowerswood Herd,
Mullinahone.
Under 70 cows: 1, Noel
Hennessy, Lismore, Co Water-
ford. 2, Richard Whelan,
Clonard, Co Meath. 3, Denis
Donoghue, Mallow, Co Cork.
Highest EBI: Colm McGirr,
Ringowney Herd, Edgeworth-
stown.
Spring calving section: 1,
Thomas Byrne, Gorey. 2: Ea-
mon McLoughney, Ard-
croney, Nenagh. 3: Pat Shana-
han, Rathkeale. Highest EBI:
John Kealy, Randallstown
Herd, Navan.
Judges Choice: 1, Brochan
Cocoman. 2, Thomas Byrne,
Gorey. 3, The Hurley Family,
Arklow.
NATIONAL STOCKJUDGING
Over 26 section: 1, Limer-
ick/Clare (John Moroney,
Aidan Frawley, Mike Dana-
her), 2, Cork (Sean Mc-
Sweeney, Seamus Crowley,
Gerard Lehane. 3, Tipperary/
Waterford (Noel Hennessy,
Eamonn McLoughney, Tom
Julian). Highest Individual:
John Moroney (Limerick/
Clare).
18–26 Section: 1, Cork (Di-
ar muid Mur phy, David
Beechinor, Leslie Draper. 2,
Limerick/Clare (Ann Neville,
T h o m a s N e v i l l e, M a rk
Lynch). 3, Carlow/Kilkenny
(Padraig Murphy, William
Phelan, Louise Murphy).
Highest individual: Donal
Coppinger (Galway) and
Katie Kennelly (Kerry).
Under-18 section: 1, Lim-
erick/Clare (Jane Hannon,
Christine Lynch, Conor
Lynch). 2, Carlow/Kilkenny
(Doireann Mulhall, Simon
Lanigan, George Murphy), 3,
Kerry (Jack Walsh, TJ Maun-
sell, Lauren Fitzmaurice).
Highest individual: Jack
Walsh (Kerry)
MACRA NA FEIRME/IRISH
DAIRY BOARD DAIRY
STOCKJUDGING
Senior: Victor O’Sullivan,
Whitechurch Macra, Sean-
dun, Cork. Runner-up:
Michael Murphy, Kiltealy/
Ballindaggin Macra, Wexford.
Under-23: Alan Twomey,
D o n o u g h m o r e M a c r a ,
M u s k e r r y . R u n n e r- u p :
William Neville, Tullamore
Macra, Offaly.
Munster Cattle Breeding Group shows off its new €2 million bull
farmer positivity
stud development
The Munster Cattle Breeding
Group, the largest cattle breed-
ing company in Ireland, recently
gave board and committee
members a preview of its new
€2 million bull stud at its
premises in Mallow, Co Cork.
The stud will strengthen the
relationship between the Mun-
ster Cattle Breeding Group and
the National Cattle Breeding
Centre, providing the centre
with additional infrastructure
to scale up its breeding pro-
gramme and operate to the
highest bio-security standards.
Bulls will be housed in opti-
mum animal welfare conditions
at Mallow, in a stress-free, easy-
handling environment.
Pat Mulvehill, CEO of Munster
Cattle Breeding Group, said:
“We invited a group of board
and committee members to
preview the new stud and see
first-hand the innovation and
technology that has gone into
its development and we look
forward to officially opening the
new facility in the coming
months.”
Construction of the new facil-
ity began late last year.
Munster Cattle Breeding
Group was established in 2007
with the merger of the Dairy-
gold, Kerry Agri and Shinagh
Estates (the former SWS agri-
businesses) cattle breeding
services business.
It is a one-stop-shop for herd
owners, with a breeding and
semen procurement pro-
gramme, DIY and AI technician
services and advisors, milk
recording, liquid nitrogen
service and, more recently,
herd health and fertility
services.
The group has over 410
people engaged in provision of
services, including 47 full-time
employees and 370 artificial
insemination and milk record-
ing technicians on a contract
basis.
Avril Helen leading one of her family’s prize animals at the
Irish Holstein Friesian Association national open day, on the
Helen family farm at Kilgarriffe, Clonakilty, last week. Just 48
hours later, she showed the family’s Holstein and Jersey
champions of the Carbery Show in Skibbereen (show report:
page 26) Picture: Denis Boyle
‘‘The Kilgarriffe herd was established in 1965 by
Richard Helen’s parents. Three generations of the
family work on the farm, which has grown to 200
hectares, including a 60-hectare milking platform,
with a milking herd of 200
‘‘
Taking a break at the IHFA national open day, on the Helen
family farm at Kilgarriffe, Clonakilty, were Pat Buckley,
Upton and Harry Ferguson, Bandon. Picture: Denis Boyle
Gladys the baby gorilla,
raised by keepers at
Ohio’s Cincinnati Zoo.
At the preview of Munster Cattle Breeding
Group’s (MCBG) new bull stud:
Progressive Genetics (PG) chairman Tom
Kelly; Dairygold chief executive Jim
Woulfe; Dairygold chairman Bertie
O’Leary; MCBG CEO Pat Mulvehill;
National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC)
CEO Bernard Eivers; MCBG chairman
David Horan; NCBC chairman Michael
John O'Donovan; MCBG board member
Patrick Landers; and PG CEO Denis
Guilfoyle. Picture: Diane Cusack